SEA-ANEMONES AND CORALS. 



No. 



ing. I dare say we shall meet with one, hiding himself 

 away in some little dark corner of the rocks (for they 

 rather like the shade), with his fringes all drawn in, 

 looking like a brown soft lump, and thinking that 

 because he has made himself 

 so ugly and unattractive, no- 

 body will disturb him. Here 

 we have a drawing of him.* 

 But we will not be deceived 

 by his uninviting looks. We 

 will take him up very softly, 

 parting him gently with our fingers from the rock, for 

 he is very tender and adheres closely to his resting- 

 place ; and when we have him safely at the house, we 

 will put him in a glass bowl with some sea-weed and a 

 few stones, that he may, if possible, believe himself to be 

 still at home in his puddle. And now we must watch 

 him long and patiently, if we would see how he changes 

 himself into his flower-like form. As he lies now, he 

 is like nothing but a ball of rather dark, soft substance, 

 flat on the side by which he 

 was attached to the rock. 

 But \vatch him, slowly, 

 very slowly, for he has not 

 the power of any quick mo- 

 tion, he begins to expand ; 

 the little soft ball rises grad- 

 ually, till it stands up, as it 

 does in the picture you see 

 1 :.tre ; from its summit it puts out long and graceful 



* This, and the three following wood-cuts, represent the 

 Sea-Anemone (Actinia marginata } of our coast. 



No. 2. 



